THE THEATER OF DIONYSUS: Nothing forces us

If you sit along one of the remaining stone benches and close your eyes, you might be able to hear Aeschylus speak the words, Nothing forces us to know what we do not want to know except pain. You might be able to feel the tragedy overtaking the House of Atreus in the play The Oresteia which took first prize in the 458 BCE Dionysia Festival. The seat of ancient Greece's rich theatrical tradition, the Theater of Dionysus smiles widely from its perch in the hillside despite its years of physical decline.

The literary contribution of ancient Greece is staggering and so much of what we enjoy in modern times was built upon the treasures of expression put forth during the fertile days of the Greek arts.